Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Welfare and Mastitis: Prevention Science

Mastitis is the most economically and welfare-significant disease in dairy cattle. Prevention through hygiene, teat dipping and dry cow therapy is more effective than treatment.

Key Facts

Mastitis causes painful udder inflammation affecting millions of dairy cows annually
Subclinical mastitis is detected via somatic cell count and causes chronic discomfort
Teat end scoring identifies dip coverage adequacy as a preventive indicator
Selective dry cow therapy reduces antibiotic use while maintaining udder health control
Pre-milking teat disinfection reduces new intramammary infection rates significantly

Welfare Considerations

Mastitis causes significant, often chronic pain in dairy cows. Prevention programmes that protect udder health are simultaneously welfare and economic priorities for dairy farming.

What You Can Do

Support dairy welfare certification that specifies mastitis prevention protocols
Advocate for somatic cell count limits as a welfare and food safety indicator
Choose dairy products from farms with documented low mastitis incidence